Lucky 13
by Grevola
Summary: AU, Chibis. It's time to celebrate Valentine's Day in Ms. Noin's first grade class, but there's a surprise new student, and if Duo and his friends don't think fast, he won't get any valentines at all! Oneshot, fluff.


**Title:** Lucky 13  
**Author:** Grevola  
**Rating/Word Count:** G  
**Notes/Warnings:** AU, Chibis. It's time to celebrate Valentine's Day in Ms. Noin's first grade class, but there's a surprise new student, and if Duo and his friends don't think fast, he won't get any valentines at all!

Dedicated to anyone who's stayed up late working on a lesson plan :P

-_-_-_-

Ms. Noin's first grade classroom was a confection of pink and red and white. While she would never let on to the even dozen students, she was heartily sick of the festive decorations. And she definitely wasn't looking forward to the sugar rush that came with any school-celebrated holiday. But it was nearly Valentine's day, and that meant chocolate hearts taped to cheerfully red cards with cartoon characters begging for your affection. And if the day in question was hectic for her, then at lest she knew her students would be cheerful.

She handed the copies of the roll sheets to Trowa and Wufei who were her helpers that week. "Alright class, here are the lists with everyone's name on them. If you're going to bring valentines on Friday, remember we have a few rules. They have to fit through the openings in the valentine mailboxes we made today. And everyone should get a valentine that's the same size and type as everyone else. Valentine's day isn't about playing favorites," she reminded them, "It's about showing people you appreciate them." The students around her smiled and crumpled their papers into their backpacks before heading out for the day.

Class continued more or less normally for the rest of the week. Little Duo got grumpy because she made him cut out hearts without folding the paper first, "But they're not _pretty_ that way!" And Quatre's father had come in to make sure the holiday wasn't _actually_ a celebration of some Christian spring ritual, "No Mr. Winner, at this age especially it's just an excuse to wear a lot of pink and eat candy until they're sick." After that Quatre had shown up to class every day in a different pink shirt. Because the holiday was falling on the lunar new year, she'd also gotten a visit from Mrs. Long who wanted to know if it'd be all right to give the students some good luck money instead, "Just a quarter each, and really it wouldn't be as expensive as one of the store bought Valentines." When she offered to come in with Wufei's dad and do a small presentation on the Chinese New Year, Noin decided to allow it. That was an opportunity no teacher would easily miss.

The day in question dawned gloomy and cold, typical for mid February, but the students bustled into her room in high spirits. Relena was in a pretty pink dress, and had bright ribbons tied in her hair. Duo was in his usual black, but the nuns had pinned a red heart to the front of his shirt. Quatre was dressed up for his first American Valentine's Day in a pink shirt and a purple vest, and Trowa, in his red turtleneck, looked ready to start trouble with anyone who laughed at his best friend. And Wufei and Meiran were dressed up in cute little Chinese outfits, though Meiran kept undoing her collar only to have Wufei fuss at her until she buttoned it back up.

She'd decided to do the valentine delivery after lunch, that way they'd have some food in their bellies before they filled up on candy. Mrs. Long and Mr. Chang arrived a half-hour after class started to do their presentation. Ms. Noin had just settled everyone into the story corner to listen to the presentation when the principal, Mr. Kushrenada, knocked discreetly on the door of her classroom. Quietly she slipped into the hall, where Treize was standing with a youngish blond woman and a small, dark haired boy. "I hope I'm not interrupting?" he said.

"No, it's fine," Noin smiled, "I'm sure Mr. Chang and Mrs. Long have everything well in hand. What did you need?"

"Mrs. Noin, I'd like to introduce you to Heero Yuy," Treize gestured to the quiet boy, "I believe you've met his case worker, Miss. Sally Po."

Noin smiled at Sally, and then knelt down to be more on level with the new boy, "Hello Heero. How are you?"

"Fine" the boy said, but he wouldn't meet her eyes.

"Heero will be joining your class as of today, if you don't mind," Treize said. "He's just moved in with his godfather."

"That's wonderful," Noin chirped, "I'm sure we'll love to have you. If you'd like, it's just about time for recess. Would you like to come into the classroom and get introduced?"

Heero shrugged.

"Would you like me to go with you?" Sally offered. The small boy just shook his head, so Noin lead him into the class room where Mr. Chang and Mrs. Long had been happily answering the questions of the curious first graders.

"So you mean you really have a year of the _rat_?" Duo was saying, "And some people are _pigs_?"

"That's right," Mrs. Chang was saying, "And you, all of you, are Sheep."

Duo's eyes grew huge, "That's just what Sister Helen says!"

Noin chose that moment to interrupt, "That's quite astute of you Duo. But I think it's time to thank Mrs. Chang and Mr. Long for coming to talk with us."

The class dutifully chorused a series of thank yous, the parents were thanked again, Meiran's collar was adjusted one last time by her mother, and then things were settled enough to introduce the new student. Heero had settled at a table near the Teacher's desk in the back of the room, and the other first graders were just beginning to notice him. "We have a new student today," Noin began the familiar speech, "Heero, please stand up and introduce yourself to the class."

Heero stood up, with his hands behind his back and stared straight ahead like he'd learned to do this by rote. "I'm Heero Yuy," he said, and then he sat down.

Noin decided not to push the boy to say more, between his sudden arrival and Sally Po's presence, something was clearly going on with her new student. Instead, she ushered the bubbling kids out onto the playground where the quickly formed two groups- the curious and outgoing children approaching the new kid, and the shyer, quieter children who were watching on the fringes and chattering with each other. Noin settled in to keep an eye on the playground, when Principal Kushrenada approached, "Hello Noin, Sally has agreed to keep an eye on things for the moment. If I could have a minute to discuss your new student with you?"

"I thought you'd never ask," she sighed in relief.

Completely obvious to the goings on of the adults, Quatre Winner frowned, a horrible thought crossing his mind. Quickly he tugged on the sleeve of his best friend, Trowa. Obligingly the taller boy moved with him to the quiet area by the tree. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I just realized something awful," Quatre said, "None of us have a Valentine for Heero."

Trowa frowned as well. Quatre was right. He remembered his sister Catherine telling him to be careful not to mess up anyone's name because the box of Garfield valentine's they bought had exactly the right number of cards. If he messed up, he wouldn't have enough. And since all the boxes has the same number of valentines, no one else would have any extras either. "What are we going to do?"

Quatre shook his head, "I don't know! I want to give everyone a valentine. It's very important to give everyone a card today, Ms. Noin said so."

Just then Duo came running over, "Urgh! The girls are showing the new kid their dolls."

"Shut up Duo," Wufei said, following him over, "Can't you see Quatre's upset?"

Duo was used to people telling him to shut up, so he barely even notice the put down anymore, instead he looked at his friend Quatre who looked like he might cry, "Aw, what's wrong? Did Wufei tell you to shut up too?"

"No Duo," Quatre said, "We don't have any valentines for Heero."

"Oh," Duo said, "Well, why don't we make some?"

The other three stared at him. "Make him a valentine?" Quatre said.

"Sure!" Duo said, "I made mine. One of the old ladies from the church showed me how. You cut out a heart, and then you write to and from on it, and the names, and then you glue this lacy paper on it and maybe glitter or something, and then you're done."

"But we don't have any paper," Trowa said.

"And we aren't allowed to use the scissors unless it's art time," Quatre said.

"And I'll tell if you try and steal them out of the drawer again," Wufei finished. He knew Duo best.

Duo sighed, and he looked crushed, "So now we don't even have an idea," he said.

But Quatre's eyes had suddenly lit up, "A valentine is a card with hearts on it, right?" The other three nodded, "Duo, you have cards right? For playing Go Fish?"

Duo's eyes got wide, "That's right! I brought 'em today 'cause Father Maxwell is teachin' me to shuffle 'em, but I wanted to practice!" He pulled a battered red deck of cards out of his pocket, "Look!"

Quatre opened the box and sorted through the card quickly, turning over the four of hearts. "It looks like a valentine," he said.

The four boys each quickly chose a card and went to get some markers or crayons out of their cubbies. Relena Darlin was at the cubbies as well, putting her doll away after she'd shown it to the new boy.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

The boys told her, and she decided she wanted to make a valentine for the new boy too. By the time lunch had rolled around, all of the students in Ms. Noin's class had written "To: Heero" (even if they did guess at the spelling), on a playing card and put it with their other valentines. That was when Duo realized that Heero didn't have a valentine mailbox. Heero was having lunch in the classroom with Ms Noin so she could get to know him. Thus denied the new student, everyone sat with their usual groups of friends. Duo had just sat down to eat with Trowa and Quatre and Wufei when he saw Relena's lunch box and realized the problem.

"Relena!" he shouted across the cafeteria, "Can I trade lunch boxes with you for today?"

Relena looked from her lunchbox, which had a large pink heart and her name on the front, to Duo's which was blue and covered with dinosaur stickers. "Is that a pterodactyl?" She asked.

"Yup!" Duo said, "And there's an ankylosaurus on the side, look!" The ankylosaurus sealed the deal, and they quickly exchanged boxes.

When lunch was over and it was time to head back to the classroom, Duo dashed ahead. When his friends caught up, he was bent over something on his desk, writing carefully. When he was done he asked Ms. Noin for a piece of tape, bemused, she handed him one. Duo then marched over to the desk where Heero was sitting sullenlly by himself. "Here!" he said, and he set the box down in front of the surprised boy. He'd fished one of his lop-sided practice hearts out of the bottom of his back pack, and written Heero's name on it. Then he'd taped it over Relena's name to make a valentine box for the new boy.

Noin, who had been aware that her students were up to _something_, managed to suppress a grin as she began to guess just what that something was. "Alright everyone," she said, "It's time to pass out valentines. Please put your mailboxes on your desks, and deliver your cards."

She waded through the ensuing chaos, helping people find desks, and keeping an eye out for especially outrageous valentines. She'd been worried about the first one Duo delivered (almost eight inches across, a heavily decorated) until she'd seen he had a huge pile of more like them. She was also touched to note that a large stack of teacher valentines were piling up on her desk- no few of them with chocolates attached. But what impressed her most of all was Heero's mailbox. Every student stopped by and dropped something into the make shift box, while Heero watched, wide eyed.

She'd just made her way back to her desk to count her valentines (just as her students were doing), when Duo found his way to Heero's desk. So she got to overhear when the gregarious boy with the braid approached her taciturn student. "Here ya go," Duo handed him the card directly, "I wanted to write on it that I think you're Aces, but I couldn't remember how to spell it."

Heero looked down at the playing card that had "To HEro froM: DUO" written on it. "What does that mean?"

"Father Maxwell says it," Duo explained, "He says it means you're really great, like the best ever. And I think we're gonna be best friends, so you must be Aces."

Then the braided student bounced over to his own desk to check his loot. Heero looked down at the card in his hand for a long time, before very carefully putting it in his folder where it wouldn't get lost or bent. "Come on Heero," Quatre called, "we're gonna share our candy."

And Heero hurried over to the table with the other boys, who enthusiastically started heaping sugar on him.

Noin smiled to herself and glanced back at the folder on her desk about Heero. It said that Heero's father vanished a few weeks before, and the boy had only just now been placed in his great uncle's care. The file gave all kinds of warnings about what kind of behavior to expect, and some recommendations for helping him fit in and feel at ease in the classroom. Most of Noin's students had similar stories. Duo had spent each month with a different family in his Church community since his parents died. Relena was adopted, and Dorothy lived with her grandmother. Quatre had only moved to the United States last year after his mother died. Noin felt lucky, she was pretty good at getting even students with such difficult home lives to feel comfortable in her classroom.

She watched from the edge of the classroom as Relena excitedly told Heero about all the dinosaur stickers on Duo's lunchbox. Shy Sylvia had offered to swap her smarties for one of his heart lollypops, and Duo had thrown an enthusiastic arm over his shoulders as he showed his friend around the classroom. From where she was standing, her she thought her thirteenth student would be okay too, 'Who says it's not a lucky number?'


End file.
